Will you be my friend?
by meevee91
Summary: Bella has constantly moved around the States for the past four year while being homeschooled by her mother. Fate intervene's and she finds herself back in her hometown of Fork's, destined to befriend the Cullen's. ALL HUMAN
1. Chief of police

I sat in my motel room waiting for my mom to come check on me

I sat in my motel room waiting for my mom to come check on me. Since I finished my essay early, there was nothing to do except wait. My name is Isabella Swan, Bella if you will. In the summer before grade eight, I moved away with my parents the Florida to spend time with my dying grandmother. My father quit his job on the police force and the next thing I knew, I was on a plane.

My mom, Renee, never really liked Forks. She and my father, Charlie, married young and had me. Their relationship became rocky. Instead of giving up like so many couples do nowadays, my parents went to counseling. My mom claims they wanted to stay together for my sake, and I was the miracle that saved their marriage. Now they cannot be happier. After my grandmother passed away, we started on what I like to call our traveling family.

Work is hard to find, especially for a family man. We never stay in one place for more than a few months before moving on. Usually we rent a small place. If, by some stroke of luck, we come into a bit of money, I have the luxury of living in a motel. That is where I am now, some motel in the city of Seattle. Charlie is currently looking for a job on the police force. My mom went to get me a sandwich which I will be able to eat after she reads over my latest essay. I have been home schooled for the past four years. We move so often that I have seen most of America. I heard a knock on my door before Charlie let himself in. This was one of my requests. In exchange for not being able to have friends, I wanted privacy. It's not like I could get into any trouble anyways. No boys in my room. I don't know any.

"Bella, Is your mom back yet?" He looked serious. "I have some news"

My body tensed and my stomach clenched. I knew what was coming. It's the same news that we always got. There was no room on the force in Seattle, so we had to try another city. Maybe Tacoma or hopefully some other place not too far away.

"No" I replied "She's getting me lunch for after my English session. She should be back soon"

"Oh" nothing more than that was said. I used to be worried that all of our moving around would damage what counseling so carefully glued back together. I soon found that I had nothing to worry about. My mother was happy at the different scenery she got to see, laid back. Sometimes I wonder how she can be so 'go with the flow' about not having a stable life or income. Charlie sees to be happy though, as long as she is. Or maybe he's happy that he knows I will never be a rebellious teen. How can I? Without my parents for company, I have no one.

My mother walked in after a few minutes, stopping in her tracks once she saw Charlie home earlier than expected.

"I have some news" my mother just nodded clearly expecting the worst.

I spoke up on her behalf "Good or bad?"

"I guess it's a little of both" I looked at him, confused, and saw my mother doing the same. It was always bad news. Nothing else was expected. We stared simultaneously in shock until he continued.

"I can't get a job here because of my age." There it was, time to move again. I didn't see what the good news was in that. Maybe Charlie has begun to go senile. It's been known to happen. However, he didn't appear to be finished.

"The captain listened to our situation and felt empathy. He phoned up some friends that apparently owed him a favor. They recognized our name and offered me a job." This was great news! I couldn't understand why his face was so solemn until he let the last blow strike. "I start on Monday as the new chief of police in Forks."

That was it, the final straw. My head spun as I realized what this new information meant. I would be back in my hometown, with my old friends as a regular student. I could have friends for once. I smiled at my dad and offered congratulations. My mother didn't take the news as well as I did. One minute she was standing wide eyed, no doubt thinking of her personal hell she thought she escaped, and the next she was passed out cold in my fathers arms. I guess it was time to dig up the counselors number, we might have use for it soon.


	2. colour blind

I am sitting in the car, staring out my window

I am sitting in the car, staring out my window. The past few days have been a little insane what with the final move and all. After my mom came to, my father started planning while I talked to her

**begin flashback**_**"Mom!" I said loudly to get her attention. She snapped back to reality and looked at me. "It's going to be okay." She just nodded weakly. "Think about it mom. We will finally have a house where you can have a garden again. Dad will have a job. I know you didn't like living in Forks, but this time it can be different. You have us, your family. We'll make it fun. We can go out on the weekends. You can see your old friends again." This time I knew she was coming around to the notion of going back. "I have missed them you know" she started crying a little "I didn't like the environment, but I am human. I love your father and your company, but I need woman my age" I just knelt down beside her and wrapped my arms around her delicate body, afraid of breaking her. "I know. Everything's going to be okay. You can see your friends again. You don't have to home school me anymore."**_**end flashback **

We began packing immediately, not that we had many possessions. With no goodbyes to say or jobs to quit, we checked out and began the five hour journey to the small town of Forks.

As we entered the town limits I began to become nauseous. I had no idea what to expect by moving back here. Forks, the town I was born in, home to three thousand citizens. Seven if you count all the outskirts. The high school was three buildings and had approximately three hundred students, all of whom I grew up with. That was the cause of one of my worries, the students. Picture this if you will; you grow up in a small town as a plain, average, quiet girl. A few friends, but no one close. One day before high school you move away and are home schooled for the next four years. One day your parents decide to move back during your senior year. You are seventeen, friendless, and your dad is the new chief of police. Everyone knew of your parents' rocky marriage and family troubles. You are going back to a school full of cruel teenagers who have already established cliques and tight groups of friends. Fun.

I was off in one of my day dreams again when a thought suddenly occurred to me. "Mom, where are we going to stay?" I guess we could stay at one of the five motels in town. Really, how many tourists come here? Eventually we would have to get a house with a permanent address.

"I thought I told you, Grandma left us with some nice property which she owned. The house might need a few repairs, but it's near town which will be nice." Near town, like that's difficult. The only things in town are a few restaurants and a joint Thriftway and Outfitters. Even the elementary, middle, and high school are all side by side. And don't forget the one level community hospital which is more like a clinic.

Sure enough, we soon pulled into a quaint two level house with a long driveway. Behind the house was the famous green forest of Forks. It would be nice to have a lawn to read on for once. Unfortunately I probably wouldn't get to do that often due to the constant rainy weather. Not to mention the lack of sun.

"Now Bella, there are two bedrooms in the house, but you can have the one with the bathroom if you want"

"Gee, thanks dad. Are you sure you guys don't want it?"

"Well, we thought that you would want your own shower for the morning since you probably will be in a rush most days. You should go on up now and unpack. Your mother and I have decided to go out for dinner tonight so be ready for six"

I picked up my two bags, I travel light, and climbed the stairs while being careful not to trip. I found that my room was the first one on the right. Right away I decided that I needed to paint my room as soon as possible. The walls were brown. I like brown, it's an okay colour, but for a room? What are we, in the eighties? And the bed was a little kid single. Being only 5'4 I could probably fit onto it, but who would want to. I set my bags onto my bed and inspected the room. It wasn't bad, a decent size. There was a privacy lock on my door and a giant oak tree outside my window with thick branches. I momentarily wondered if my parents were imbeciles for giving their teenage daughter a room with a lock and a tree which could be easily used to climb out of the window. Wait a second, who am I kidding? I can't get into trouble if I don't have any boyfriends to sneak in. I guess my parents are stupid after all. Either that or they trust me. I guess that could be it too.

A slight breeze blew through my room causing me to shiver. That was weird, the door was closed. Then I realized that part of my window was broken. I would have to go to the hardware store to fix soon to fix that; hopefully tonight before dinner. I continued my tour into the bathroom. It wasn't too bad. In one corner was a stand up shower and on beside it a nice claw foot bathtub which I have always wanted. Unfortunately, my grandmother seemed to have really bad taste in paint. Either that or she was colour blind. The walls were puke green believe it or not. I don't know about you but I wouldn't want to paint any room that colour, let alone the one that has the toilet in it.

Since I barely had any clothes, I quickly put the contents of my suitcase into my dresser and made a list of the essentials I would need to pick up. I decided I would require some new paint, towels, a soap dish, household cleaners, a vacuum cleaner, bed sheets, and some accessories for my room. I would save the larger items for a later date and pick up the smaller bathroom items now. I went downstairs to borrow some money and the car keys from my dad, but not before slipping down the last few steps and bruising my arm. I would have to be more careful with these stairs. I wandered into the kitchen where I found my parents discussing some 'important issues'.

My father took notice of my arrival which wasn't really that difficult considering the amount of noise I made. "Your mother and I just talked to the school and they've agreed to let you start tomorrow. They said that your teachers would be informed of your situation with schooling and you will be helped in the necessary areas." Great, now everyone is going to know I'm a home schooled freak.

"That's great dad, can't wait" He smiled as I wondered how I could miss the sarcasm in my voice. "Are you sure that I can't just be home schooled for my last year?"

"Bella" My father warned in an annoyed tone "We've discussed this and I thought we agreed that you should have the experiences of a normal teenager. Besides, it's hardly fair to your mother, who should be able to visit her friends and develop a hobby or get a part-time job if she wants to."

"I know, I really do, and it's just that I'm not really looking forward to being the loner who has no friends in her senior year. Not to mention the gossip of the town"

At that my mothers face softened and she looked like she could cry "Oh baby, no one's going to think of you like that. You just need to take time and adjust. You have a great personality and you have lots of friends in no time." She got up to give me a hug, comforting me as I did to her not long ago.

"Thanks mom, you guys are right. Listen, I was looking at my room and I made a list of things that I need. Can I borrow the car to run to the store?"

"Of course sweetie, take my bank card, you know the pin" My mom was reaching into her wallet when I stopped her. "No mom, it's okay. I still have tons of money left over from the spending portion of Nana's inheritance. I'll use that."

"No Bella, it's our job as parents to provide you with what you need."

"Mom, really, it's okay. Take the money instead and buy something we can all use like a new television or something."

My dad grunted something that sounded along the lines of good girl as he handed me the car keys. "Now don't forget, be back before six so we can go for dinner."

"I know dad, I won't be long. Love you guys" With that I closed the door and jumped in the car. After throwing it in reverse, I backed down the drive way and drove into downtown Forks.

**How are you guy's liking it so far? Not what you were expecting from the title were you? It's starting slowly but I'm having fun writing it. The next day is Bella's first day of school. Any guesses on who she's going to meet? But before that she has to go shopping and she's going to run into some old friends. **

**It won't let me put it on the top so here it is—the disclaimer:**

**I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. I only modify the plot line.**


	3. embarassing encounters

I pulled into the parking lot in front of Forks hardware store deciding to get some tools first

**Hello again, I tried to update as soon as I could. I've been busy with school and my spring sports starting up. I hope this chapter satisfies you, I had fun writing it. Most of the beginning seems to be fluff, but I am slowly introducing characters. The real story starts when Bella meets the Cullen's of course. For now, you can get to know her modified personality. I response to some reviews, yes, Bella if different. She has grown up in a completely different environment from before. Of course, all of the characters will feel slightly different. That is just me and my style coming through. I can definitely see some of myself in Bella's character at the moment. That is natural of course because I am **_**not**_** Stephenie Meyer. I'm **_**not**_** a writer and these were originally her characters, **_**not**_** mine. No matter how hard I try, my style will come through and twist it a little bit, especially when the story is so drastically different in some aspects. Now, let the chapter begin!**

I pulled into the parking lot in front of Forks hardware store deciding to get some tools first. As I walked in I noticed the changes that occurred in the last four years. Now, instead of old Mr. Harvey working the cash, there was a young man with curly brown hair. He was huge, way over six feet. I ignored this for the time being to head on over to the paint section.

As I looked at the wall of different shades of colours I began to get a headache. They can't just have a couple of choices can they. It has to be 50 shades of yellow. I mean, egg shell and pale yellow seem pretty similar to me. Exhausted, I chose a lemon yellow and lime green. My room was going to have a theme and I didn't care. As for the bathroom, I decided lavender would be safe enough. I stuck my swatches into my purse and continued onto blinds. I didn't want plain white ones, but none of the others would match my colour scheme. Wow, I'm really starting to sound like a home decorating channel. I was so engrossed with the blinds, sad I know, that I didn't notice someone coming up behind me until they tapped me on the shoulder. I screamed and dropped my purse. I know it was a silly reaction but I really was startled.

"Oh man, I'm sorry" I turned my head only to see a huge mass of muscle. I looked up and found a man with curly brown hair looking down at me. I immediately recognized him as the one at the register earlier.

"That's okay, it was my fault that I was spacing out" It really wasn't his fault and I didn't want him to feel bad. "Now that you're here, I was wondering if you could help me with something."

"Sure can, what do you need?" willing to help, that's a good sign.

"I'm looking for some blinds, but I don't like any of the colours here" I pointed at the small, pitiful selection behind me. "Are there any that can be ordered in? I don't really feel like driving five hours to Seattle."

"Of course, people often complain about our lack of selection. It's hard in a small town; people don't often buy new blinds." I nodded understandingly. We were probably the first family in a while to move out here. Most people don't do it willingly.

"If I give you a paint swatch, can you match the colour?"

"Sure, just show me the colour you want and I can order it right now." I rummaged in my purse and found what I was looking for. I pulled out the paint swatch from earlier and handed it to him.

"Lime green?" he eyed me incredulously. "Are you sure you weren't looking for a blue or black?" He was about to give back the sample when I stopped him.

"I like it, and it will match my walls. It's my room and I can put whatever I want in it."

He help up his hands in surrender and walked over to a computer catalogue. After a few minutes of typing out complicated looking forms, he wanted the swatch back to me.

"Okay, that's it Miss Swan. Your order should be here in a few days, I'll give you a call. Have a nice day now."

"Wait" I called him back "Don't I have to pay for it or something?" Usually that's what you do when you buy something after all.

"Not right now. You pay when you pick up just incase it's not the colour you had I mind or something like that."

"Okay, sure. I guess I'll be back later. Bye and thanks for your help"

"Anytime" I walked out the front door and back to my car. This is one thing I missed about living in a small town, everyone was super friendly. By the time I pulled into Thriftway it was literally pouring. It was only a couple of blocks away from my house, but who wants to walk anywhere in this weather?

Once inside I headed towards the household section. I went with the cliché rubber ducky theme for the soap dish and shower curtains. Passing by the outfitter section, I saw a display of rain boots. I thought of the weather in Forks, constantly rainy, and decided to buy a couple of pairs. I couldn't decide to I went with one plain black, one striped green, and one with a cherry pattern. At the till I realized that this was one clerk I actually recognized. Mike Newton, ugh. To be fair to him, he's not all that bad. It's just that after a while he tends to get annoying with his clingy habits. I marched up and placed the boots in front of him, the less talking the better.

Looking bored, he scanned the items and told me the total. As I was handing the money to him, he looked up and recognition flashed across his eyes. "Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?"

"I don't think so, I just moved into a house here today." I didn't want to encourage him, knowing how he could be. I should have known he wouldn't give up.

"No, I'm positive I've seen you before. Alexis? Sandra? No, that's not right. Isabelle?" He was getting dangerously close. "I'm sure you're just mistaking me for someone else. Now if you'll excuse me, my mom's waiting in the car for me." I grabbed my bags and proceeded to make a mad dash towards the exit, but not before he spoke again.

"I know, your Bella Swan! I'm right aren't I?" The jig was up. I've been caught and now I would have to face the music. Or chatter in Mike's case. I slowly did a one-eighty to face him. "You're right, I must know you. Let me guess, Mike…Newton?"

"Wow, you remembered! How have you been Bella? You look great, even prettier than before. I m-mean, uhh, what brings you back to Forks?" I listened patiently while he prattled on, waiting for him to finish. "I mean, you left four years ago. Everyone thought you were never coming back, I mean, we all know how your mom hated living here"

That was it; I had to stop him now. I never did like the gossip small towns brought. "Mike, I know how my mom feels about Forks, but that is our own family business. We came back because my dad was offered the position of chief of police, not to be tomorrow's gossip."

"Gosh, I'm sorry Bella. I didn't mean to…I mean I never would have…I'm sorry." It was pitiful to see Mike stammer on, so I decided to end it for both of us. "Mike, it was nice seeing you, but I really do have to go. My mom can be pretty impatient if kept waiting. I'll see you at school tomorrow." And with that I swiftly walked out the sliding doors hearing a faint good-bye from Mike's direction.

I pulled into my driveway and was unloading my bags from the trunk when I heard an annoying, high-pitched giggle coming from my right. I ignored it and started walking towards the front door. I did stop, however, when I heard my name being sneered.

"Well, if it isn't Bella. Look Lauren, she finally came back after all these years" She paused, throwing me a look of disgust before continuing "I thought Fork's was too good for your family" she spat, literally.

"What are you talking about Jessica? My dad was transferred, you know that. I thought we're friends" I knew confusion was etched across my face and couldn't stop the hurt from seeping into my voice.

"We were friends Bella, past tense. That all changed after you didn't contact. And now you return, four years later, and expect things to be the same? Welcome to reality."

"It's not like I didn't want to, I was being moved every week. Sometimes we didn't even have a phone." I defended myself, truly hurt by her words. This time Lauren spoke up.

"It's called a pay phone, and it takes like two minutes to say 'Hi, how are you?' Anyway, it's been nice seeing you again Bella, but we have to run, double date with Mike and Tyler" She emphasized the word date. As if I cared, they were too clingy anyway. They stalked down the street, hips swinging ferociously from side to side, hair flying. Before they turned the corner, Jessica looked back at me over her shoulder.

"See you in school tomorrow. Oh, and Bella? I'd watch my back if I were you, girls can be so cruel." I couldn't help but catch the sarcasm dripping from her voice. Great, not even the first day and I'm already being threatened. I sighed dejectedly and turned towards the door once again. "What is reality anyway? Is it what we see? Can we really trust our senses to arrive at a truth? Do you ever wonder we are living a lie, based on what we believe to be true?" I jumped, almost screaming, and dropped my bags. I turned to see a girl about my age leaning against my car.

"Holy hot dog you scared me!" I bent down to retrieve my fallen merchandise.

"I'm really sorry, I overheard you being bashed by the school witched and decided to be a friendly neighbor. I didn't mean to scare you" She looked so sincere, I found it difficult not to smile.

"It's alright, I scare easily. My name's Bella Swan, we just moved in here today." I extended my hand in front of me.

"Angela Weber, we moved here three years ago. I live across the street, the one with the big tree." Angela smiled while she took my hand and I couldn't help smile back at my new friend.

"What was all that stuff you were talking about earlier? You know, before I had a heart attack."

She chuckled in a good natured way, obviously having a sense of humor. I had a feeling we were going to get along famously. "You mean about reality?" she smile while holding up a book titled 'Theory of knowledge'. "I borrowed this book from school so I could read ahead. It's interesting in some areas, the examples are funny."

I groaned audibly "Don't tell me, we have to take philosophy." I never really like the subject. Sure, it was interesting enough, but my mom also loved to voice her opinions it to anyone who would listen. I didn't feel like attending a class to hear the same lectures by a teacher I'd heard enough times already.

"Yep" She nodded excitedly "although it's not exactly a philosophy class. It's more based around knowledge and how we, as knowers, came about that knowledge."

"I guess it sounds interesting, but not enough for me to actually choose it."

She immediately began laughing as I frowned, not really seeing the humor "It's not a matter of choice Bella. The teachers have determined our fate and taken away our free will by making it a mandatory course for grade twelve. If you don't pass, you don't graduate."

"Bummer"

"My friend took it last year and told me all about it. It's not really all that bad. To my knowledge, it's not a difficult course. If you contribute, you get a higher grade." I guess that sounded fair, I remember most teachers having that motto.

"On to a lighter subject, seeing on how you just moved in, do you need any help?" She was nice, really nice. Who needed Jessica when you had willing to help neighbors?

"That's all right; I don't own many things so my unpacking is already done. I should probably go in now before my mom has a panic attack. It was nice meeting you Angela."

"Same to you, and I'll see you in school tomorrow. I promise to give you the grand tour"

I chuckled at the irony of a grand school in Forks. "Sounds great, see you tomorrow Angela." I waved as I turned around to open the door. Walking passed the kitchen, straight up the stairs to my bedroom, I collapsed on my bed. I was so exhausted by the day's events that I drifted off into a deep sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

**SO, pretty long. That TOK stuff was for you Caitlyn. Just to let you guys know I am currently in a theory of knowledge class, so I didn't make that up. And we recently watched the matrix so that's where all the reality stuff came from. I wasn't going to include it originally. It was going to be a reference to the reality vs. appearance theme from Macbeth that we just studied, but as soon as I began typing it, the Matrix immediately popped into my head. Chapter four will of course be the first day of school, haven't given it much thought at the moment. I must go to bed now before I fall asleep at the computer.**

**MLB**


	4. new friends

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the brown walls surrounding me, and the light streaming in through my window

Chapter four: _First Impressions. _

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the brown walls surrounding me, and the light streaming in through my window. I remembered the move we made and how we were now in the rainy town of Forks. Wait a minute, rainy town, so why the sun? I guess it was Fork's way of making me feel good on my first day of school. I groaned into my pillow and rolled over to get up. I had forgotten about school.

I stumbled across my room to the boxes which held my clothes. I had to unpack a pair of jeans and a t-shirt seeing as I couldn't be bothered to put them away last night. I went to the bathroom and quickly splashed some water on my face and threw my hair into a quick ponytail. A few annoying wispy strands few down in my face but I wouldn't waste the effort trying to pin them up, they would just fall down anyway.

As I made my way towards the kitchen, I smelt the aroma of eggs and French toast. I turned the corner to see my dad making the eggs as normal, seeing as it was the only thing he could actually cook. My mom was attempting to make the French toast and so far, it was her best effort. This time she had actually made it past the soaking of the bread like I taught her, and onto the frying. I actually felt a swell of pride in the knowledge that my mom could make progress. That feeling was short lived when the burnt odor hit my nose.

"Mom, you have to flip the bread" I ran over to the stove, taking the flipper from her hand as I went. I managed to savage the slices, which only had minor damage to them.

I scooped them onto three plates and added the scrambled eggs on the side.

"Thanks honey, I don't know what we would do without you around" My mom brought over the syrup and ketchup from the fridge and placed them on the table. "We wouldn't eat, that's what" replied my father, shaking out this morning's newspaper.

"Nah, you guys are smart enough to order take out and buy microwavable meals." My parents chuckled and we settled down, eating our meal in silence and enjoying each others company. I finished with my breakfast and carried my dishes to the sink. As I rinsed them, my mom told me what the schedule for the day was.

"While you're at school, your father will be going to his office to settle in, and I will be running errands to make this house livable." I nodded along as she spoke, not really taking it all in. "When you get home, we figured we could all go out for a nice family dinner and check out the place."

"That sounds great mom" I didn't mind, it would be one night less where I couldn't be making dinner. It's not that I minded the chore, it was just laborious. As soon as I started getting projects at school, I would have to teach mom some simple meals that no one could screw up. I thought of it like training her for life, or the life she would have when I wasn't there to make sure she ate properly.

I grabbed the school bag my mom prepared for me which included some paper in a binder, and some pens. Looking at the sunny weather, I decided to grab my lighter jacket which didn't feel so much like a parka and my other one. The ground was still damp from previous rainfalls, so I decided to wear my new rain boots. It wasn't far to school, only about a twenty minute walk. I hugged my parent's goodbye and set out walking. The school was just coming into view when a very expensive looking Porsche sped past. Unfortunately for me, I was standing beside a puddle at the time. The water splashed up to my knees and into my boots. The car immediately stopped and a tiny girl with short black hair stepped out.

"Oh my goodness I am so sorry I didn't see the puddle, are you all right?" the girl said in one breath. I cut her off when it looked like she would continue. "I'm fine, its just a little water. It'll dry."

"Oh no" She looked down at my legs and saw the dripping pant leg. "I wish I could do something. I have extra clothes but I don't think they'll fit. I know! I can lend you some new shoes" She looked excited but I couldn't let her do that. "It's okay, really."

She cut me off forcefully "No, I insist" She ran over to her car, popped the trunk, and I assume she began searching for a pair of shoes. "You might as well take the shoes from her; she won't stop until you do. Alice can be stubborn and very persuasive at times." I jumped and turned to see a tall boy with blonde hair smiling down at me. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you. My name is Jasper Hale"

I smiled back and grasped his outstretched hand "I'm Bella Swan. It's very nice to meet you Jasper." Suddenly a pair of sneakers was thrust in my face held up by a very triumphant looking pixie. "I knew I had a pair. Jasper's my boyfriend and, as he told you, my name is Alice." I expected to receive another handshake, but was surprised with an enthusiastic hug instead. "It's very nice to meet you too Alice" I laughed as Jasper shook his head at his exuberant girlfriend. "Okay, put on the shoes and let's go." I was a little confused "Go where Alice." I was a little take aback by the giggle she emitted. "To school, we're going to be late if we don't get moving" She grabbed my hand and towed me over to the passenger side of her car. "You can put them on in the car."

As Alice started up her car she also started up the questions again. "You're new her aren't you? Is your dad the new chief of police? How do you like Forks? Do you have any friends here? Want to be my friend?"

"That's enough Alice, why don't you give her the chance to answer the first one?" I threw Jasper a grateful look before replying, my head was starting to spin with all of those questions. Alice looked at me through the review mirror with an expectant look on her face.

"Technically I guess I'm new here" I could see the confusion in Alice at my answer so I explained further. "My family moved away four years ago down to Florida to take care of my Grandmother. After she died, we traveled around, never staying in one place too long because it was hard for my father to find work. I was home schooled by my mom, but then one day my dad got the offer for chief of police up here."

Alice had this worried look on her face which I couldn't quite understand "I'm sorry Bella; I didn't mean to pry into your life. My brother always tells me that I stick my nose into other people's business too much." She looked close to tears, I guess at the thought of offending me.

"No Alice, it's okay, I'm fine talking about it. My life has been great; I got to travel to most of the states." I tried to placate her; something about her told me that I would feel awful if she actually began to cry. She could look so fragile at times. "Besides, if I can't talk about this to you, how are we supposed to be friends?"

A huge smile took over her tiny face and she began bouncing in excitement "Do you really mean it Bella? Oh we are going to have so much fun!" She was still rambling on about the different things we could do as friends when we pulled into the school parking lot. I thanked them for the ride and explained that I needed to check in at the office. Alice reluctantly told me the directions with the promise that I would see her later on during the day.

By the time I made it to the office the first bell had rung, and the halls were gradually emptying. I walked up to the front deck and introduced myself as the new student. The lady behind the counter smiled at me in an affectionate way and handed me my homeroom information. "Now, everyone in your homeroom has been together since grade nine, but don't worry sweetie, all the teachers and students at this school are nice kids. You're teacher will give you your schedule for the year, and if you have any questions you can come back here and I'll help you."

I thanked her and sped off in the direction she told me to go. The second bell had already rung and the halls were empty. Looking in a classroom as I passed, I noticed that the classes were settled and the teachers had already begun. I felt panicky and began to run towards my class. I shouldn't have ran, I knew that, but I couldn't help myself. I tripped over my feet and began to fall towards the ground. Since my arms were full with papers and maps, I tried to use my side to break my fall somewhat. I ended up scattering my papers everywhere and bashing my elbow on the hard tile. I lay on the ground for a second clutching my elbow before getting up to recover my papers.

Before I could do anything, a bag of ice was being pressed to my injury. I gasped and turned to see the most gorgeous boy with bronze hair beside me. "How did you get ice so fast?" It's not like everyone carried an icepack incase they hurt themselves, although that would probably be a good idea for me. He smiled a breath taking crooked smile and pointed to a sign above me, it was the first-aid office.

"I was sitting in there when I saw your fall. Are you okay?" I nodded, transferring the ice to my hands. Figures that the most beautiful human I ever met would be part of the staff at my school. He looked older than me anyway; I don't know what I was thinking. Actually, what I was thinking right now was how many injuries I could realistically receive in order to see him on a regular basis. He handed me the pile of papers that he had gathered as I sat in my fantasy. "Are you sure you're okay?" he peered at my face closely. I nodded while my face flushed. "I have to go to class, I'm late."

"Wait, I'll walk you there. Which homeroom is yours?" He probably wanted to make sure that I didn't injure my self anymore that I already had.

"That's okay, I'm fine. I'll be going now." I turned and continued running down the hall now with the ice pressed against my arm. Miraculously, I only slightly stumbled once and made it to my class with no further incidents.

I stood outside the class, trying to find the right time to knock. I didn't want to interrupt anything and draw more attention to myself than was necessary. After a few minutes the class door suddenly opened and the teacher called me inside. "We were just wondering when you would finally join us. You're late." A few kids snickered in the back and my face flushed again, so much for not drawing attention.

"I'm sorry I was at the office and then I got lost on my way here and fell down" _Please don't give me detention on my first day back to school, my mom will kill me_. My silent prayer worked because the teacher shuffled through his papers and handed me a schedule.

"Isabella Swan, here you go. Sit in the back next to Eric. Mr. Yorkie raise your hand please."

I turned to where he pointed and saw a skinny kid with greasy black hair raise his hand. I made my way towards my desk down the aisles looking at the floor, letting my hair swing to the sides to cover my face. I sat down and began to look over my classes for this year. As Angela mentioned, I had to take a Theory of Knowledge class, and lucky me, I had it first block of the day. Goodie. The rest of the classes were your typical standard classes. English, Biology, Math, History, Geography, Music. Wait, what? Since when do I have any musical skill? I would have to go to the counselor at my next break to change that.

The bell rang again signaling the start of our first class and the migration of students in the hallway began. I was pushed along with the crowd and managed to jump out when I saw my class. As I walked inside I immediately recognized Jasper. He was sitting on a large couch with some other people I remembered seeing in my homeroom. He waved me over and moved everyone down the couch, creating a space beside him for me.

"Thanks Jasper" I sat down and tried to ignore the stares I was getting. "What's with the couches?"

"Oh, the teacher decided that this was an easier and more comfortable environment to discuss philosophy. Apparently, the greatest philosophers such as Socrates and Plato would sit in circles discussing their theories." I nodded at his explanation. It really did seem to be a more relaxed and inviting environment. More imaginative and less structured.

The rest of the morning passed with the teachers introducing themselves and telling us their classroom expectations. Besides Jasper, the only other class I had with a friend was Math with Angela, which was right before lunch. As Math ended, Angela and I put our books in the lockers we were assigned and made our way to the cafeteria, which I'm pretty sure doubled as a drama club since it had a stage on one side of it. I walked through the line picking up just a salad and water. Everything else either looked disgusting or was ridiculously priced. From now on I'm going to bring my own lunch from home.

As I made my way to an empty table with Angela I noticed a movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see Alice jumping up and down and waving wildly calling my name, with Jasper trying to calm her down. I smiled and led Angela in the opposite direction to their table. As we approached the table Alice kicked out two chairs, one beside her and the other beside an extremely gorgeous girl with long, blonde hair. As soon as we sat down, I noticed who was sitting across from the blonde. He was huge with curly brown hair, and he looked really familiar.

He saw me looking at him and smile "Hey, you're blinds are ready for pickup. Let me know when you want them and I can come over to install them." I knew it; he was the one from the hardware store yesterday. "Sure, okay. Umm it doesn't really matter to me, whenever you have the time I guess."

Alice turned to look at with "Emmett, when did you meet Bella?" Oh please, please Emmett, keep it short and simple.

"Well, it's actually a funny story" He looked at me with a grin on his face "I scared the living daylights out of her yesterday at the hardware store during my shift. She didn't hear me approach her. She actually creamed and dropped her purse" naturally, a hot blush crept across my face as the table broke out into laughter.

"I guess that Bella creates funny first impressions." My head shot up at that voice, so familiar. My eyes widened as I took in the messy, bronze hair.

"What do you mean Edward?" Edward, it was an old fashioned name, but it suited him. He smiled at me before continuing his story.

"This morning, before homeroom, I was finishing talking to the nurse when I saw Bella running down the hall and literally falling flat on her face in front of me. All the papers in her arms scattered across the corridor." I barely heard the rest of his sentence as Emmett was laughing and pounding the table loudly. The blonde girl seemed a little embarrassed of his actions which made me wonder what their relationship was.

Alice was obviously happy about the conversation topic; she could barely suppress her giggles "What did you do Edward?"

"I gave her a bag of ice from the freezer in the office and went to pick up her papers. The blonde snorted "Always the gentlemen aren't you Edward." It wasn't a question, more a statement. "Of course; quite the opposite of you Emmett"

"Yep, wait HEY!" this time I joined in the laughing directed at Emmett for his comment.

Edward looked back over to me and gave me another gorgeous crooked smile. I felt my breath catch and the always present blush return, so I dropped my gaze to my hand. In doing do, I realized that there was only fifteen minutes left in Lunch. They always say the time flies when you're having fun.

I quickly excused myself from the table and made my way back to the office. When I got there, the counselor wasn't in, so I talked to the front desk. "Back again Bella? Tell me the problem and I'll try to fix it."

"Well, you see on my schedule it has music, except I have no talent whatsoever. I was wondering if I could switch classes."

"Unfortunately, school rules state that you either have to be in a music class, or take part in the drama presentation. It seems that not enough people were doing fine arts so it became a requirement." Shoot, I may be bad at music, but I'm even worse at acting.

"I guess I'll stay in music then" Not that I really had a choice in the matter. Maybe there was some non-musical job I could do in the class, like being an audience. _Yeah right Bella, fat chance of that happening._

"Just give it a chance, and if it is still a problem in a few weeks, we will try looking at some alternate choices." I just nodded my head and exited the office. There was really no point in arguing.

The rest of the day passed as any normal day would. I guess that's not quite accurate seeing as my normal day would have me at home. After lunch I had physical education. That class would be interesting to say the least; I had it with both Jessica and Lauren. Right after that I went to biology, followed by geography and music. Unfortunately, I didn't see any friendly faces in any of my afternoon classes.

As I was leaving the school, I noticed that it was pouring rain. This day just couldn't get any worse. I was wearing my light jacket which also happened to be non-water proof, and my rain boots were already soaking wet. I didn't want to phone my parents to pick me up, so I decided to brave the wetness and walk home.

After five minutes I was already soaked to the bone and completely miserable. I continued my trek in the rain until a silver Volvo pulled up beside me. Immediately I started panicking when I didn't recognize the car. Is it possible for a high school student to be kidnapped after school in Forks? The window rolled down and I immediately relaxed.

"Do you need a ride home?" Edward's voice was like music to my ears at this point. Okay, his voice was always music to my ears. I couldn't help it, it just so smooth and melted like honey.

"Are you sure? I don't want to get your seat all wet."

"Don't be silly, its just water. Come on" He opened the door for me and looked expectant. That was enough of an invitation for me. I climbed in, stowing my bag at my feet. We started driving, with me giving him directions to my house. The drive was silent, but not an awkward silence.

The car pulled up in front of my house and as I was getting out, he stopped me. "Bye Bella, I hope to see you again tomorrow. Next time though, sit beside me at lunch." That, along with the breath taking smile he gave me, sent me stumbling to my front door. He waited until I opened the door to drive away. My mom was waiting for me by the stairs when I walked in.

"Bella, oh honey you're soaking wet. Did you have a bad day at school?"

"Actually mom I had a great day, embarrassing but fantastic." She gave me a strange look before shrugging her shoulders and taking my coat.

"Okay sweetie, but you be sure to run upstairs and take a hot bath. Don't forget, we're going out for dinner tonight."

"Will do mom" I stumbled up the stairs and filled up a hot bubble bath. As I sunk into the relaxing water, all I could picture was his bronze hair and clear, green eyes.


End file.
